Into the Woods
by Frank Kjesus
Summary: In the world of fairytales, Rose longs to go back into the woods, but a terrible beast dwells there. Still, she can't help but crave the thrill of the forest. A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and the other fairytales. Rating may change due to later chapters. Feel free to submit ideas or fairy tale suggestions. Possible SYOC (PM for details)


" _Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."_

\- Sarah Williams

Rose remembered the time before the forest became forbidden. She remembered sitting under large evergreens gazing up at the clouds drifting lazily by as her sister braided her hair with flowers. She remembered lying in clearings looking up at the stars with her sister beside her, trying hopelessly to count the stars before falling into a deep, peaceful sleep. She remembered the festival, where everyone from the village would wear their best clothes and go dancing in the woods. There'd be music, lanterns hanging around filling the clearing with soft sounds and warm lighting.

There hadn't been a festival in the woods for nearly a decade. No longer did little girl pick flowers in it's meadows. No longer could children lie peacefully under the night sky, surrounded by trees, and no longer did the villagers go dancing in the moonlight. A beast had taken over the woods and no man dared to enter for fear of him. Still, one old woman seemed to completely ignore the new danger of the forest. She kept her little house in woods, growing her food in the garden and only ever seeing humans to trade with them. Or if her young grandaughter decided to visit. Like her grandmother, Rose never really learned to fear the forest, even after the terrible wolf was spotted.

"Don't you ever miss the festival?" Rose asked over her shoulder to her friend, whose back she was leaning against. She felt his shoulders tense and turned her head to try to look at his face.

"Not really," Monty answered with a sigh, relaxing his shoulders in a shrug and trying to seem non-chalant. Raising an eyebrow Rose picked another flower from the abundance around her and placed it with the others in her lap. With nimble fingers she wove them together to form a circle of white, yellow and green. "Besides, I'd rather not be killed by some vicious beast just for a dance."

"I would," his companion replied softly, her eyes being pulled to the edge of the forest just beyond the meadow they were sitting in. Though she couldn't see him she could feel Monty's incredulous stare bore into the back of her head. "Okay, not really, but I just miss the old days. I miss playing hide and seek between the trees and I miss all the flowers! Do you even remember the crowns of flowers that Lily used to make? I used to feel like a little fairy princess when I wore them."

"I think your crowns are nice," Monty answered with a certain indignity.

"But they're not the same," Rose stated as he missed point. She lookied down at at her work with disdain. The soft, chilly breeze brought the scent of evergreens to her from the nearby forest, as if to say that it missed her too. Rose pulled her red cloak around her more tightly to shelter herself from the beginning cold of autumn. "I just don't want one bad thing to keep us from all the wonderful things in the forest."

"No one does, but your grandmother seems to be the only who isn't bothered by a giant beast waiting to eat her the moment she steps outside her garden."

"Granny isn't afraid of anything," Rose smiled proudly. "One day I'm going to be like her."

"An old widow living alone in the woods?" Monty asked, amusement and mocking clear in his voice. He shifted to his knees and turned to her, placing one big hand on her jaw to turn her face toward him. "Not if I have any say."

"Not like that," Rose replied with annoyance creeping into her voice. "I want to be brave like her."

"I don't think you need any more bravery than you already have," he replied lightly, placing a playful kiss on her lips. "You even kill your own spiders, don't you?"

His mocking earned him a light slap on the arm as his companion turned her back to him. "Don't mock me!"

"I'm sorry, Rosie, I didn't mean it like that," he defended himself, but was unable to keep the amusement from his voice. Snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest without resistance, he got the feeling she was never really offended by his words. When he leaned down to kiss her neck and the tension melted from her shoulders he knew he had been right. To kiss more freely he pulled her raven hair to the side and was delighted when she leaned back into him and closed her eyes.

"I still miss the forest," Rose sighed as Monty placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

* * *

 _Once upon a time there lived a King with his daughter, whom he loved very much. The girl was beautiful and just, wishing only the best for her people. The queen had died when the girl was but a babe, yet the image of the mother was found in the daughter. Her hair was golden like rays of the sun and her eyes were the blue of the sea. The king lived with his daughter for many years in peace and every year she grew in wisdom and beauty. All the kingdom loved her and she loved all the kingdom._

 _However, not all outside the kingdom loved the princess as the king and kingdom did. There was a man, an evil sorcerer who wished with all his heart to have the kingdom for his own. He captured the young princess and brought her far away. The king lamented the loss of his daughter and declared that whoever could bring her back to him would be rewarded with her hand in marriage and a future as king. The evil sorcerer knew he couldn't barge in and claim he just found the poor girl and wanted to bring her back to her father, for the king knew him and would see through his lies at once. Finding her would prove an arduous task, for the sorcerer had cursed her to life as a swan by day, only to return to her human form by the light of the moon. She would remain a swan until a man who was faithful to her would kiss her and declare her as his love. If the man she kissed, declared her as his love, but was not faithful to her, the princess would be cursed to remain a swan forever._

 _So the princess remained lost, though many a prince and peasant searched for her._

* * *

"Mother, Rose, have you heard?" Lily had hardly opened the door before the question left her lips. Her raven hair fell in ringlets around her usually pale, but now flushed face. She was out of breath, but smiled with the reckless joy of a child. "The prince is giving a festival!"

"The prince?" Her mother asked.

"A festival?" Her little sister exclaimed.

"Yes," Lily answered both with a beaming smile. "He's giving a ball to find a wife and all the kingdom has been invited. Oh, Rosie, isn't it wonderful?"

"Mother, can we go?" Rose turned to her mother with pleading eyes, looking like a child with her big brown eyes and spots of flour on her face from the bread she was kneading. "We haven't had a proper party since Louise and Eddard's wedding!"

"Yes, and we could find good husbands there! Maybe even the prince," Lily giggled, giddy at the thought of gowns and dancing and princes. Her sister chimed in with promises to not ask for anything ever again for as long as they lived. "We'll never get a chance like this again!"

"Girls, I'll think about it, but I don't think we can afford it," their mother reasoned, immediately choking the girls' dizzy daydreams. Money had been tight since their father's death and though they managed they really couldn't be careless with what they had. Returning to her bread with a fading glow in her cheeks, Rose took comfort in her own decision that no matter how wonderful it would've been to dance with a prince in a palace it could never beat dancing under the stars in the forest.

* * *

"A festival?"

"Yes."

"The prince?"

"Yes."

"To find a wife?"

"Yes, and everyone's invited so he can pick whichever girl in the land he wants," Rose beamed as she explained the affair to Monty, who seemed not only disinterested, but slightly disgusted at the concept. Though Rose didn't know if she could go, the prince's festival was still the talk of the town and she needed to share her enthusiasm with her oldest friend.

"Sounds really boring to me," he scoffed, discarding the straw he'd been fiddling with. "Seems to me that all the prince wants is a buffet of pretty girls to choose from. And, not that I don't believe in the nobility of our prince, but don't you think that it's a little bit of a lie? I mean, he probably won't even notice the poorer girls because they can't dress as nice. The richest girls will get all the attention with their fancy ballgowns and snobby dances. There's porbably not even going to be good food, it's all-"

"What's your problem?" Rose interrupted her childhood friend's rant. Her glowing smile had faded the moment he declared his disinterest. She pushed herself off the fence they'd been sitting on to look him in the eye. "Really, I can tell it's not the food that's bothering you."

"I just-," he began, but cut himself short, realizing that she knew him too well to let a blatant lie go unnoticed. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. With all the pretty gowns and noble women the prince won't look at poorer girls, that's just the truth of it. You and Lily just aren't-"

"What? Good enough for him?" Rose asked incredulously, disbelief written clearly across her pale face. "You think we're beneath him just because we've been raised diffrently?"

"You know that's not what I mean," Monty raised himself taller, trying to seem more sure of his words than he was. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up in case-"

"In case he thinks I'm a stupid farmer's daughter? If that's what you excpect he'll think then you can leave."

"Rosie, I don't think you're-"

"Please go," she replied, not looking at him. A cold edge had crept into her voice and stopped the hand he was about to put around her. After a beat he turned and left, leaving Rose feeling unsettled.

* * *

"I'm sorry mother won't let both of us go," Lily whispered to her sister as they lay in their shared bed that night. Their mother had told them that the money they had would only allow one of them to go and decided that Lily should be the one because she was the oldest. "It really won't be the same without you."

"It's alright," Rose shrugged, feeling the last of her tears dry on her cheeks. After her conversation with Monty she had lost most of the fire the thought of a festival had lit in her. "I never really thought the prince was so handsome anyway."

"Of course you didn't," Lily laughed, wrapping an arm around her little sister and pulling her close. "Besides you already have Monty. Maybe the two of you could go to the meadow and dance all night."

"I doubt he'd like that idea," Rose said, leaving her sister to wonder about the bleak reply. "He doesn't like going near the forest at night. It's like he thinks the beast will wander closer to the village when it's dark. As if it cares about the time of day. Monty doesn't even dance anyway."

"I'm sure he'd dance for you," Lily tried, brushing a stray hair from her sister's forehead. "If you asked him to."

"Yes, but I don't know if I want him to if he only does it to please me."

"He tries, at least." Lily offered, her voice muffled by a yawn.

"Yes, he does."

* * *

 _In the quiet midnight the moon hung lazily over the lake, admiring her own reflection. The wind rushed through silvery leaves and seemed to linger around a lone figure underneath a weeping willow. She stared blankly out at the water, but defiance was clear in her body, cradled against the tree's trunk._

" _Princess, I've brought you water," a dark-haired girl said as she emerged from the trees carrying a big jug filled to the brim with water. The other girl didn't even look at her, but kept her eyes fixed on the moon's reflection on the lake. The moonlight stole the gold from her hair, leaving it pale and colorless. The dark circles under the princess' eyes made her seem older than her sixteen winters, yet somehow ageless under the light of the waning moon. "Please, princess, you need to drink."_

" _What do you care?" The blonde finally turned her cold stare to the other girl. Though the dark-haired girl was used to cold stares, the intensity of the younger girls' blue eyes sent a shiver down her spine and froze her blood. Somehow the princess' beauty made her apparent hatred harder to bear._

" _I'll just leave this here," the darker girl muttered as she placed the jug by the tree's roots and scurried off into the forest, leaving the captive princess to go back to her brooding._

* * *

The last warm breeze of summer ruffled Rose's hair as she took a deep breath and stepped in between the trees. She swallowed her fears as the tall shapes engulfed her, blocking out most of the early autumn sun. Though the time of summer was past, the flowers of spring still bloomed in the meadow and sent sweet scents with her into the forest. Her heartbeat was embarrasingly loud to her, as if she was doing something dangerous and unlawful. She told herself that going into the woods wasn't against the law, it was simply against every warning she had ever recieved in the last decade.

Walking with light steps down the path Rose felt the warm air fill her lungs and the wind caressed her skin and played with her crimson cloak. With her cheeks flushed and her hair messed up from the wind Rose felt as though she had been locked up in a cage and were finally free from all chains and bars.

To her it only seemed like she had walked for a minute when she reached the clearing where they held the festival when she was a child. Just seeing it for the first time in so many years sent memories rushing to her and she swore she could hear faint children's laughter, the ghost of her childhood. She ignored the chill seeing the field abandoned sent down her spine and forced herself to tear away from the sight to continue down the path toward a small meadow just beyond. The meadow was her true destination, because she knew there grew flowers in that meadow too stubborn to let the chill of autumn get them just yet.

The sight of it nearly took her breath away. Though Monty claimed there wasn't too much of a difference between the flowers in their own meadow outside the forest and the ones from the fields they'd known as children, Rose once again realized just how different the two of them were. Outside the forest the flowers bloomed white and yellow in the green grass. Here there were flowers of every color. There were the familiar white and yellow ones, but also red ones, blue ones and a myriad flowers in every shade of pink and purple. The wind ran through the field and blew the scents of the meadow towards her, mixing it with the smell of the evergreens. Every scent was familiar to her, just the way they'd been when she was a child.

Grinning widely she stepped into the field and sat down among the flowers. Almost as if in a dream her hands reached out and picked a few of them. Up close their smells were even more tantalizing than they'd been from afar. The colors were more vibrant and they seemed to beg her to weave them together. She did, taking her time in making sure each flower found it's rightful place among the others.

She had no idea of how long she'd been sitting in the meadow weaving flower crowns when she suddenly became conscious of a pair of eyes on her. At first she thought it was nothing, some little bird perhaps or a squirrel that had come, like her, to enjoy the flowers' company. When she looked up to the trees on the opposite side from the path she'd come from her entire body froze and she was all of a sudden aware of the chill the autumn wind had brought with it. On the other end of the meadow, just behind the tree line, stood the beast. It was taller than she had imagined, even lying down it probably reached her hip. It's powerful body was covered in fur as white as snow, a stark contrast to the brown bark of the trees surrounding it. The eyes of the beast looked at her with cool interest, most likely considering how it would eat her. Yet the animal didn't seem ready to pounce just yet, it was lying perfectly still, observing her. Rose herself was also perfectly still, the shock of seeing the fabled beast of the forest with her own eyes no further away than she could throw a rock, left her unable to move a muscle.

Despite the obvious danger of the situation Rose didn't feel fear. She stared into the great beast's eyes and held it's gaze. Through her shock and the terrible realization that this could be her death, all Rose could think was how fitting a death it would be for her. She had always longed to go back into the forest and see the flowers and now she had. In spite of everyone's strict advice against going into the woods alone she had and now her death could serve as a warning to any other stubborn youth who dared to disobey.

The animal's ears perked up and in one swift movement he was on his feet. Rose closed her eyes, sure that the beast had finally decided how it would devour her and took what she was certain was her last breath.

* * *

 _"I'm going to get you!"_

 _The joyous squeal of a child filled the clearing as a brunette girl ran across it, flowers falling from her hair. Her small feet stomped the earth, crushing many flowers that grew in her way._

" _And I'll eat you up, nice and tender as you are!"_

 _The child emitted another scream that turned to a giggle as two strong hands scooped her up and into a warm embrace. The man pressed his lips to her throat and blew hard, causing another fit of hysteric giggles to erupt from the little girl._

" _Papa, it tickles!" She exclaimed, one small hand feebly pushing at the man's face. He lifted her up high and for a moment her little form stilled as she took in the view of the meadow surrounded by trees. A small gasp escaped her lips. "I'm flying!"_

 _The realization of her sudden height caused the little girl to kick her legs out, throwing the man off balance and sending them both falling to the ground in a fit of laughter. Lying there panting with her head on her father's arm as they recovered from their fall and subsequent laughter, would always remain one of the clearest and dearest memories the girl had of her father. The setting sun dying both of their dark heads red, hers with a few stubborn flowers still tucked into the two tied-back strands._

" _Love you, Papa."_

" _I love you too, Rose."_

* * *

"Rose!" The sound of her name jerked her away from her selfinduced reverie and back to reality where she was sitting with a dozen flower crowns around her and an unfinished one in her hands. Just as she realized where she was she felt strong arms wrap around her and she was surrounded by Monty's easily recognizable smell of sweat and sheep's wool. "Are you okay? I've looked everywhere for you!"

"I'm fine, I was just-" Rose began, but let the sentence hang in midair as she turned her eyes to the place where the beast had stood mere moments before. Her brow furrowed as she saw nothing but trees where the great white wolf had been. "I was just picking flowers for my crowns. I'm going to sell them at the fair. So Lily can go to the festival."

"Rosie, you sound delirious, are you sure you're okay?" Monty asked, placing a hand to her forehead to check for a fever.

"I'm fine, Monty, I just wanted to get the flowers."

"Come on, let's get you home, it's freezing," he said, helping her unnecessarily to her feet. He gathered up the crowns and put an arm around her. It wasn't before they were well out of the woods that Rose noticed that the sky had darkened and the first few stars were beginning to peek out at them.

* * *

 _When the dark-haired girl returned the next morning with some bread and a new jug of water she found the old one exactly where she had left it, still full. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw the white swan circling the lake aimlessly. Not only did the princess seem unhappy swimming in the small lake, but the fire that had kept her kicking and screaming as the sorcerer cursed her seemed to have simmered down, leaving her apathetic and defeated. It was a painful sight, seeing someone so young and previosuly filled with life turn so cold and numb so fast. The dark-haired girl much prefered the freezing fire and defiance of their last encounter._

" _I brought some more water," she called out to the swan, it's head perking up slowly. It felt silly to talk to the animal, but she was sure the princess could still understand. "And some bread, you must be hungry."_

 _Ripping the bread into smaller pieces and throwing them into the water for the princess felt like mocking her. That girl had probably never had something as bland and tasteless as mere bread served to her, let alone thrown in a lake for her to eat. When the entire loaf was gone and the swan stayed stoically in the middle of the lake, the girl took the old waterjug with her and left the princess without another word._

* * *

"Girls, I need to go to your grandmother's with some bread," Rose and Lily's mother told them over breakfast the next morning. Her red hair was tied back in a tight bun and though she had once been as beautiful as her daughters were now, she looked worn. She had aged much since their father's death mere years prior. "There are a few things we'll need at the fair, but I'll try to be back by then."

"If you need to be at the fair I could go to granny," Rose suggested, noticably perking up at the chance to see the old lady. "I don't need to be at the fair, Lily can sell the crowns for me."

"Rose, I really don't want you to go just because-"

"No, it's alright, I really just want to see grandma." The older woman scanned her daughter's face for any trace of insincerity. After the debacle where she went into the woods withouth telling anyone and with nothing to protect herself with, Rose's mother had grown more protective of her youngest. Though Rose had admitted to entering the woods to get flowers for crowns to sell, she hadn't told anyone about her encounter with the wolf.

"Fine," her mother finally sighed, causing a wide smile the spread across Rose's face. Before the young girl could get too ahead of herself the older woman added some terms with the stern protectiveness only a mother could muster. "But you have to promise to stay on the path. And no talking with strangers, even if they're just nice travellers, you hear me?"

"Yes, mother, I promise," Rose replied eagerly and as the young girl darted out of the room to get her cloak and a basket for the bread, her mother had a sinking feeling that her advice was taken all too lightly.

* * *

 _Every night the dark-haired girl kept returning with water and bread for the princess and every night the princess refused. It was growing rather tiresome and the princess showed obvious signs of fatigue and dehydration. The circles under her blue eyes had grown darker, more purple now than blue. Her curls fell limply against her shoulders. Her fire had turned to ashes and the ashes were blowing away with the soft summer wind. If she kept it up she would not live to see another spring._

" _What is your name?" the princess asked hoarsely, her throat dry from limited use and lack of water. At first the other girl didn't catch the question, being too surprised at the lack of animosity in the princess' tone._

" _Nisha, princess," she replied, seeing the ghost of a smile on the princess' lips. "And yours is Luciana."_

" _Lucy," the princess corrected quietly, her eyes falling back to the moon's reflection. Nisha thought that the princess must know every crack and peak in the moon's face by now. "You can call me Lucy."_

" _Alright, princess Lucy."_

" _No," the blonde said, her voice a little stronger now. "If yours is the last friendly voice I hear I just want you to call me Lucy."_

" _Alright," Nisha hesitated before adding; "Lucy."_

 _Nisha wasn't sure, but there seemed to be a new glow in the princess' eyes and the promise of a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth._

* * *

The trek through the forest to her grandmother's house was shorter than Rose remembered from the times she'd gone as a child. Perhaps it was her legs being longer now or perhaps her longing to stay in the forest for as long as possible. The trees seemed to welcome her back like an old friend when she stepped among them. Though her encounter with the beast still haunted her dreams she wasn't frightened of meeting him again. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone she could feel in the deepest, most hidden part of her heart a desire to see him again. There had been something intriguing about seeing such an animal up close, and the certainty that he could've killed her right there only made her feel more alive when he didn't. She wondered what the white fur would've felt like to the touch and if the muscles underneath were as powerful as they seemed.

Except for a quick trip into the meadow to gather flowers for her grandmother and if she had dared admit it, look for the beast, she stayed true to her promise of staying on the path. Before she expected she saw her grandmother's familiar little house standing among the trees. The brown roof and pale walls met her with the little garden of flowers and plants in front like a welcoming comittee. She shifted her pace to a run as her grandmother opened the door to welcome her in. Rose crashed into her grandmother's open arms.

"Oh, there you are, my dear!" The old woman said, ushering the girl into her house and closing the door behind them. Though Rose remained oblivious the older woman had seen the great white beast hovering under the trees behind the young girl and though she did not fear the beast, she would not invite him in for tea.

 _The first rays of the sun danced off the lake's surface, painting everything in red and gold. One golden ray illuminated Nisha's face, softly waking her. She hadn't meant to fall asleep by the lake that night, but at some point she had slipped away, leaning aganst a tree trunk. Squinting against the early morning light she saw a lone white figure out on the lake, the princess swimming slowly. In the light of the rising sun the swan looked regal, the returned image of her former glory. Her head was raised and there seemed a new flame was rising from the ashes of her defiance._

 _When Nisha looked in the jug she found it empty and a proud grin spread across her face._

* * *

"Grandma, have you ever seen the beast?" Rose asked quietly looking up at her grandmother from behind her teacup. Rose sat curled up in one of her grandmother's rockingchairs with a shawl threwn over her lap for warmth. The old woman stopped for a moment by the window, pausing to look out of it. When she moved again she drew the curtains shut and brought the teakettle over to the little table and sat down in the other rockingchair.

"My dear, why do you ask?"

"I just," Rose began, unsure of how to put it. Her throat felt dry and a small voice told her that she shouldn't tell anyone about her meeting with the beast if she ever wished to see him again. Another voice told her that if she wanted to live after her next meeting she might need to know more about him. "I saw him, out in the woods the other day. He didn't do anything, he just looked at me and it got me thinking that maybe he's not as bad as everyone thinks."

"Rose, darling, I admire your compassion," her grandmother started, but it was clear from her tone that she wasn't pleased with Rose's sympathy for the beast. "But you need to know that the wolf is no more a puppy than I am a princess. I have seen him, my dear, lurking in the shadows and I've heard him howl at the moon. I've seen brave men go after him with swords and all the courage of an entire army and I've seen the survivors cowering in the corners with blood on their faces, shying away from even the smallest shadow. The luckiest who meet him are the ones that die first and quickly for they needn't see their companions be torn apart like men made of straw, thrown about like a child's toy."

"Grandma, you're scaring me!"

"Good, that means there's hope for you yet!" the old woman leaned back into her chair, taking a long sip of her tea. "Yes, Rose, I admire your compassion, but if you are not weary of the wolf he could well be your doom."

That night Rose hardly slept, for dreams of madmen cowering in corners with visions of dead companions haunted her dreams and in waking she could only listen for the sound of a wolf's howl over the whispers of the wind.

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think, all opinions are welcome! Any suggestions for fairytales that should be added to the mix? Suggest away!

The link to the tumblr is on my profile. The form for OC submission is also on my profile.


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